Jobseeker numbers 'worry' Labour's Liam Byrne

UK unemployment fell by 17,000 in the three months to the end of February but according to the Labour Party it is worrying that the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance rose by 700 in March to 1.45 million.

Shadow Employment minister Liam Byrne said that he was not optimistic about the private sector creating more jobs.

The Office for National Statistics also said that the number people in employment rose by 143,000 to 29.23 million, compared with a pre-recession peak of 29.56 million recorded for the three months to the end of May 2008.